The Transition
by mslove2003
Summary: This story is going to follow the life of Elizabeth McCord and her family as they all adjust to her new job. It won't be easy, but they will get through it together.
1. That was the President

**AN: I thought there needed to be more Madam Secretary stories out there. I love the show, and I am a huge fan of Tea Leoni and Tim Daly! **

**This story is going to be more about the family. It won't follow a specific storyline. Some chapters will be connected but others won't. There will be missing scenes from the show and other stories I think would be fun to tell. I will also take request if you all are interested in the story. **

**I hope you enjoy! **

**That was the President **

Elizabeth McCord sat at her kitchen table watching the President of the United States and his security detail exit her home. She was still in shock by his announcement. Secretary of State. She couldn't be the Secretary of State. Could she? No way. She was an ex CIA analyst, a professor, a mother, and a horse owner. She wasn't even political, but then again she had a feeling that was one of the reasons the President wanted her in the job.

"Honey," Henry stood in the doorway with Jason and Alison standing close behind him. They had been listening from the other room. They were unable to hear the whole conversation, but they were pretty sure they knew what was going on.

"That was the President." Elizabeth told them. She was almost breathless. "And not of the PTA." She still couldn't believe it. Her mind was running a mile a minute. He said she could affect real change. Maybe she could.

Henry nodded. "Yeah we know." He informed.

Elizabeth smirked.

"What did you do, mom?" Jason asked.

Alison remained quiet.

"I…I didn't do anything." She gave him a look. "He asked me to take over as the Secretary of State."

"Wow," was the only word Henry could think to say.

"Yeah. I know."

"Elizabeth that's incredible." Henry walked to his wife and kissed her forehead. This was not how he expected his no rules Saturday to go. "What did you tell him?"

"He gave me some time to think about it."

"How long?"

"The rest of the day."

Henry laughed. "That was nice of him."

"You only get a day?" Alison asked. "That's a huge decision to make in such a short time."

"She's taking the job." Jason told her. "She can't turn down that job. She is going to be famous." Jason was surprisingly happy about the news.

"Guys, I haven't made any decisions yet. We are all going to make this decision together." Elizabeth told her. "Although he said he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Alison sighed. "So we don't really get a say? Does that mean we have to move?"

"Of course it means we have to move." Jason told her. "She can't be the Secretary of State from here."

"Listen kids, will you please give your mom and me a second to discuss this?" Henry asked his kids.

"Sure." Jason said. "Just so you know, I am totally in." Jason walked out of the room.

"Noodle," Henry looked at her. He could tell she was afraid her whole world was about to change. Technically, that was true. Everything was about to change for the McCord family.

Alison looked at her mom. "I'll do whatever you want to do, but I'm not going to be happy about leaving my friends." She walked out of the room.

Elizabeth looked at Henry. "Madam Secretary." He walked closer to her and rubbed her arms.

Elizabeth pulled away from him. "Henry, I can't take this job. You saw the look on Ally's face." She paced back and forth. "She is going to hate me."

"She isn't going to hate you." Henry stopped her from pacing and rubbed her shoulders. "She's fifteen. She will get over it."

Elizabeth sighed. "I honestly can't believe that this is happening. I'm happy here. I love my job. I love our home. I love the horses."

"You will love your new job. You will love our new home." Henry smiled. "I can't let you pass up this opportunity. I know how incredible you are. I know that you will be able to make a difference in that position. And I also know that you would regret not taking the job. You would beat yourself up over it."

"I never imagined this would be how this day would turn out. One minute I am shoveling horse manure and the next minute POTUS is offering me a job." She sat back down at the table. "You're right. I can't turn down this job. The President obviously thinks that I can do it."

"I think you can do it."

"You're not weirded out by this?" Elizabeth asked him. "This is going to be a huge change in our lives.

"Yes. I know, but I'm not worried about that." Henry smiled. He believed in his wife. He knew that she could do anything. "We have faced a lot of changes and challenges in our lives. We can handle anything."

"What about you? You have to work. You can't just quit your job."

"Elizabeth, I can teach anywhere, and you know that." He hoped to reassure her. "Maybe the new Secretary of State will make a phone call or two for me." He joked.

She poked him. "I don't understand why you are so calm. I'm freaking out about this. There are so many things to consider. I don't think a day is enough time."

"There is nothing to think about. Everything is going to work itself out. All you have to do is tell the president that you are in."

Elizabeth smiled and then kissed her husband. She truly was a lucky woman.

"We've got to call Stevie." She remembered. She couldn't even picture how she would take it.


	2. Fake Class

**I hope you all enjoy! **

**Fake Class **

Elizabeth, Henry, Jason, and Alison were sitting in the living room next to the phone. They had Stevie on speakerphone.

Elizabeth had explained everything to her oldest daughter. Stevie was unusually silent. "Stevie," Elizabeth said. She was afraid Stevie had hung up. She was known to do that from time to time.

"That's great mom," Stevie said slowly and almost unconvincingly.

Elizabeth and Henry shared knowing looks. They knew that tone oh so well. She was saying everything was great but that is not what she meant at all. "Honey, if you aren't sure about this then we can talk about it further. Feel free to voice your concerns."

Alison rolled her eyes. Stevie always got her way. She was the perfect daughter, no matter what she did.

"No mom really that's great. I'm super proud of you." Her voice was much higher than normal.

Her mother knew it was a front.

"Listen, guys I have to get to class. I'll talk to you later. Congratulations mom."

"Stevie." Henry called out for her, but it was too late. She had hung up the phone.

"It's Saturday." Elizabeth stated the obvious.

"She probably needs sometime to process it." Henry rubbed her leg gently. "She will call us back when she gets out of her fake class." He chuckled. Elizabeth gave him a glare.

"Why does Stevie get time to think about it? You didn't give us time to think about it." Alison argued. "It's not like Stevie has to leave college and all her friends. I'm the one that has to do that. And what about my boyfriend? That's not fair."

"Give it a break Alison." Jason sighed. "This isn't about you."

Alison stood up, "It never is." She walked out of the room.

"Noodle." Elizabeth called out to her but got no response.

"She is such a baby." Jason smirked.

"Jason," Henry gave him a stern look. "Please be nice to your sister. This is going to be a big adjustment for all of us, and we are going to have to stick together to make sure it works out."

"Yeah. I know." Jason stood. "Don't let those two sisters of mine discourage you."

Elizabeth smiled. "Jason, I'm really surprised you are for this. You hate the government."

"Yeah but I love you. And I'd rather you be in there calling the shots than someone who I know doesn't even care."

His words made Elizabeth happy.

"I know you will do a good job." Jason hugged her. "We will figure out all the rest."

"I love you too." Elizabeth hugged him tighter until he finally pulled away and walked to the door.

"Besides I think it will be really cool to have a famous mom. I'll be famous by association." He laughed before walking out of sight.

"Well at least he said he loved me." She fell back onto the couch. "One day he will be too cool for that."

"You'll always be cool as long as you are famous." Henry joked with her. "At least he has his priorities in order."

"I am going to go talk to Alison. Will you try to call Stevie back?"

Henry nodded.

She stood back up and looked at her husband. "I think you're right. I think I would do a good job because I do care, and I will do whatever I can to make a difference."

"You should call the president and find out when you start."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I can't do that until I know that my children are on board. You're right. I would regret not taking this job, but I don't think I could stand it if my children hated me."

"That's normal. All kids hate their parents." Henry reminded her.

"Not our kids." She reminded him as she walked out of the room. They had always had really great relationships with their kids. She was never going to let that change, no matter what job she may have.

* * *

Elizabeth stood outside Alison's room. She wasn't sure what she was going to say. Alison was their quiet, emotional child. She cared and worried about everything, but never liked to talk about it. She would keep things in until she felt like screaming. Elizabeth was positive that she got that personality trait from Henry's side of the family. Everyone in her family always voiced their opinions.

She took a deep breath, exhaled, and knocked on the door. When she didn't hear a response she opened the door anyway. "Can I come in?" She saw Ally sitting on her bed reading a magazine.

Alison was silent.

"Oh come on." Elizabeth sat beside her. "You know how much I hate the silent treatment."

"I'm reading." Alison flipped a page.

"Let me see that." She took the magazine from her daughter.

"Mooom." Alison groaned.

"I haven't read this one yet." She flipped through the pages. "I'm totally interested in what Brad and Angelina are going to do next. I'm sure they will eventually adopt another kid." She went on and on hoping to get a laugh out of her daughter.

Alison remained silent.

"Ally," Elizabeth sighed. "Please talk to me." She pushed Ally's hair out of her face and touched her chin so that her daughter was looking at her. "I really need you to tell me not to take this job."

"What?" Alison looked at her with a confused look on her face. "I know you want to take this job. You'll be like the most powerful woman in government."

"Uh yeah." Elizabeth made a scared face. "And that freaks me out." She admitted. "If I screw it up then everyone will know. I'll be a laughing stock."

"You want me to tell you not to take the job?" Alison asked. She was still confused.

She nodded. "Yes."

"You said the president wouldn't take no for an answer."

"That's what he said." Elizabeth stood up. "I'm sure he will understand when I tell him that I can't take the job because of my kids. I think he will be okay with it." She hoped that her plan was working.

Alison stood up. "You can't do that. You can't use me as an excuse." She told her mother. "You have to take this job."

"I do?" Elizabeth smiled on the inside. "I thought you wanted to stay here. This is where your whole life is."

"Yeah. I like it here."

"Ally, you hate it here. You complain about this farm all the time."

"This is where my friends are."

"Then we will stay here." She started to walk towards the door. "I'll call the president right now."

"No." Ally stopped her. "I know what you are doing, and its working just like you planned."

"I think you've lost me. What are you talking about?" Elizabeth tried to play dumb.

"This." Ally pointed at her. "You're making me feel guilty. You're not scared. I know you mom. You aren't scared of anything. You were in the CIA. They train you to be brave."

"How do you know that?"

"I've watched a lot of movies." Ally smiled. Elizabeth shook her head. Being a CIA analyst was nothing like the movies. "The point is that you are trying to trick me."

"Honey…I'm not trying to trick you." But she was. It didn't work.

"You have to take the job, no matter how sad I'm going to be about leaving my friends and my life here." Ally told her. "I'll support you, and I'm super proud of you."

Elizabeth smiled. "Ally, I know this is going to be a big change for you. It's going to be a big change for all of us." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her tight. She then broke away from the hug and looked at Ally. "I'm a little scared." She told her honestly. "I don't want you to hate me for ruining your life."

"I could never hate you. Although, I might give you hard time every now and then." Ally smiled. "It's my job."

Elizabeth touched her face playfully. "You can't give me a hard time. You are my easy kid." Elizabeth hugged her again. "You are going to make new friends. I know you don't believe that, but you will. I remember when my parents sent me to boarding school. It was a really big adjustment for me. At first I didn't think anyone liked me, but I got used to it. It became my home. I wouldn't change my time there for anything in the world. I hope you will feel the same way when we get settled in."

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask." Elizabeth smiled and walked to the door.

"You're going to kick ass, mom." Ally braced herself for Elizabeth's reaction.

"Language, Ally," Elizabeth warned and then laughed. "I sure hope you're right."

She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"How did it go?" Henry met her in the hallway.

"She's on board."

"Really?" Henry was a little surprised. "I knew you could convince her."

Elizabeth pointed to his phone. "Did you talk to Stevie?"

He nodded and pulled her into their bedroom. "I did."

"And." She hated when he left her in suspense.

"She wants her life to remain as normal as possible."

"What does that mean?"

"She doesn't want to be a part of all the hoopla, her words not mine." Henry informed her. "She is really proud of you, and she thinks you should take it. But she would like us to keep her out of it."

"Okay. How are we going to that?"

"She is at school. It shouldn't be that hard."

Elizabeth nodded. "Fine. That actually sounds like a request Stevie would make." Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed. "I guess that's it then. The kids are all on board."

"Yep." Henry sat next to her. "And I'm on board."

"Yep." Elizabeth looked at him. "And POTUS said he wouldn't take no for an answer."

Henry smiled at his beautiful wife. "So."

Elizabeth sighed. "This is really happening." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She was still trying to wrap her brain around the whole day.

Henry nodded. "This is definitely happening Madam Secretary."

Those were two words she wasn't sure she would ever get used to. "It doesn't seem real. I think I'm still in shock."

He kissed her cheek and then her neck. "Does that feel real?" He asked.

She nodded as they fell back onto the bed. "Very real."

He continued to kiss her until she popped up from the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"Henry," she said in a high pitched voice. "We have so many things to do. I need to make a list." She walked to the door. "But first I need to call the President and tell him that I accept his offer. I'm going to be the Secretary of State." She smiled a great big smile. She was ready for anything thrown her way. It was definitely going to be a crazy adventure, but as long as she had Henry and her kids she knew she was ready for the ride.

* * *

**Should I keep going? I will take request if there is something you would like to see! **


	3. They Hate Me

**They Hate Me**

Elizabeth slowly walked into the house after her first official day of work. She dropped her briefcase and closed the door.

Home. Sweet. Home. She sighed.

She was more exhausted than she thought she would be. The past couple of weeks had been a world wind. She still hadn't caught her breath. She and Henry had sold the farm, packed up all of their belongings, and moved quicker than she ever thought possible. Henry made a few calls and had accepted a job with Georgetown. The kids were enrolled into one of the best private schools in town. Alison was still upset about leaving her boyfriend and friends, but she was trying her best to remain positive in front of Elizabeth. Jason was well…Jason was Jason. He hated school no matter where he was.

Everyone seemed to be adjusting. Well…everyone except for her staff.

"Hey babe," Henry greeted her with a quick peck on the lips. "I thought I heard you come in."

Elizabeth smiled. "I was taking a moment. The first moment that I have had all day."

"Come in the kitchen." Henry grabbed her hand and ushered her into the kitchen.

Elizabeth knew that he was going to ask her a million questions about her first day. She walked over to the table and propped her feet onto the chair across from her. "Where are my babies?"

Henry pointed upward. "They are upstairs. I sent Jason upstairs to do his homework. He would not stop complaining about school. I couldn't take it anymore." He pushed a couple of buttons on the microwave. "We saved you some dinner."

"Honestly, I'm not all that hungry." Elizabeth told him. "But I could really use a glass of…" Before she could finish her sentence, her husband was already standing in front of her with a beautifully large glass of red wine.

"I'm one step ahead of you." He smiled as he handed her the wine.

"A man after my own heart." Elizabeth took a sip. It tasted marvelous between her lips. The wine was exactly what she needed after her long day. "How's Alison?"

"Miserable as always." Henry laughed. "I sent her upstairs too. If I have to hear about how much she misses her boyfriend again, I might actually screamed." Henry grabbed the plate of food out of the microwave and sat it in front of his wife. "Enjoy."

Elizabeth laughed at her husband. "Weren't you the one that said we should listen to her when she is upset, so that she wouldn't bottle up her feelings?"

Henry nodded. "Yes. But Elizabeth her sadness is getting the best of me." Henry sat across from his wife. "We aren't moving back to the farm. Which by the way she wouldn't be happy with either. She hated the farm. I'm ready for her to meet people here and move on." Henry admitted.

"You're so cute." Elizabeth took a bite of her food. "You aren't used to dealing with whiny teenage Alison. You always send her my way."

"Well you don't like dealing with it either." Henry reminded her. "You know what, that is enough about Alison. I want to hear about your first day."

Elizabeth took another bite of her food and pretended like she couldn't talk.

"It couldn't have been that bad."

Elizabeth swallowed her food. "It wasn't bad. Today was all about the paperwork and getting acquainted with everyone and everything. There isn't all that much to tell." Elizabeth pushed the food away from her. "I'm really not all that hungry. All I want to do is finish this glass of wine, check on the kids, and take a nice hot bath." She took another sip of her wine.

Henry got up and walked around the table. He began to massage her shoulders.

Elizabeth exhaled. "That feels amazing. Really amazing." Henry was very good at massages. He knew all her spots.

He kissed her neck. "Maybe we could that bath together."

Elizabeth nodded and moaned at his touch. "I'd like that a lot." Taking a bath with Henry was one of her favorite things to do. He always made her feel like the only woman in the world. She considered herself to be extremely lucky. She stood up and wrapped her arms around her husband. "Thanks for saving me dinner."

"Always." He kissed her and then grabbed her plate.

"Just leave it in the sink." She told him. "We can get it later."

He emptied the plate, rinsed it off, and left it in the sink. "So why won't you tell me about your day?"

"I did." She said matter-of-fact.

He shook his head. "No you didn't. You didn't give me the details."

"I can't give you the details, Henry. I'm the Secretary of State. I have a very secretive job."

"I don't want to know the secretive stuff." Henry informed her as he leaned against the counter. "I want to know about everything else. How's your office? How's your staff? Did anything special happen? Did you get called into the president's office yet?"

Elizabeth shook her head. He was very cute. "Well the office is great. Nothing special happened. We already had my confirmation. I didn't meet with president. I met with his Chief of Staff, Russell Jackson. Wonderful man." Elizabeth said sarcastically. She could tell he wasn't her biggest fan and was probably going to cause her some trouble in the future. "Oh yeah and Marsh's staff hates me." Elizabeth finally admitted as she sat back down.

"That's not true, and they are your staff now." Henry told her. "We discussed this before you started. You could have brought in your own staff."

She shook her head. "I know we talked about it, but I couldn't do that. They unexpectedly lost their boss. I'm not a cruel, heartless monster."

"I didn't say that." Henry sat beside her. "I'm sure they don't hate you."

"They loved Marsh."

"Give them time. They are going to love you just the same."

"You have to say that. You are my husband."

"Well yeah." He laughed. "I would say it anyway. Because I know what an amazing woman you are. It might take some time, but you are going to win them over. I am positive." He held her hands. "At least you have Blake."

"Thank God for Blake." Elizabeth smiled. "I'm so glad I brought him with me."

"You have nothing to worry about."

Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you. I hope you're right."

"I'm always right."

Elizabeth was about to speak, but her phone vibrated. "Hello. Oh. Hi Nadine. Yes. What happened? Okay. I'll be there soon." She hung up. "The job never ends."

"You've got to go back in?" Henry asked. He already knew the answer.

She nodded. "The Secretary of State's job is never done." She kissed his forehead.

"What about our bath?"

"Will you take a rain check?"

"Anything for you, Madam Secretary."

Elizabeth smiled at her husband before grabbing her phone and walking away.

"Hey Liz." Henry called for her.

She turned back around.

"First days are never easy, but it is how you handle the days that follow that really matter."

"Who said that?" He was always quoting someone.

"Me." He stood up and walked towards her. "Your staff will get used to you, and they will grow to respect you."

"Technically, it is still my first day." She smiled and walked to the door. Henry was right. She had never been a big fan of first days. The state office was still grieving the loss of their leader. It was going to take time. Besides, her staff wouldn't be there if they weren't capable of doing their jobs.

She grabbed her briefcase and headed back to the office.


	4. Friday Night Surprise

**Sorry for the lack of updates. I will try to do better! I hope you all are still interested in this story. **

**Friday Night Surprise**

Elizabeth walked into the house for the first time in days. She had only held to position of Secretary for a little over month and had spent more time at the office than she had first expected to. It was something she would never get used to.

She sat all of her things down and made her way to the kitchen, where she heard the voices of her sweet family.

"You're right dad." She heard Alison say.

"His three favorite words." Elizabeth said happily as she walked into the kitchen, and they turned around.

"Mom," Alison was the first to run into her arms.

It felt so nice. She had missed the kids like crazy.

"Hey mom." Jason waved at her from the table. He was playing on one of his electronic devices.

"Hey kiddo." Elizabeth finally made her way to Henry. He was sitting at the head of the table reading some papers. "Hi." She whispered as their lips met for the first time in days. Every kiss they shared felt like the first kiss all over again. It was like coming home.

"I missed you." He kissed her between kisses.

"Okay. Get a room." Jason yelled at them as he made a face.

"That's not a bad idea."

She and Henry both laughed and shared one last kiss.

"I am so glad to be home." She walked over to Jason and kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair before sitting down beside him. "I was thinking we could go see that movie you guys were talking about last week." Elizabeth thought it was a wonderful idea. She missed family time.

But the looks on their faces said otherwise.

"We've already seen it." Jason admitted.

"Jason," Alison hit him on the shoulder. "You weren't supposed to tell her."

Elizabeth tried to hide the hurt on her face, but she obviously wasn't doing a good job.

"Honey," Henry began. "We can see it again."

"Please no." Jason shook his head. "It was horrible."

"Jason," Alison hit him again.

"Ow!" He yelled out. "Would you stop it!"

"If you wouldn't be so dumb. We promised we wouldn't say anything if she asked." Alison fussed at him.

"Well I didn't won't to see it again. It sucked."

"Alright, that's enough." Henry intervened. "I'm sorry honey. I'll go see it again."

"No," Elizabeth shook her and sighed. "I didn't really want to see it. I just wanted to spend time with my family. We can do that at home." She smiled, happy to be home. "How about family game night? We haven't had one of those in a while."

"Sorry." Alison stood up and walked over to the counter. "I have a skype date with Josh. We try to skype every Friday."

"Gag me." Jason rolled his eyes.

Elizabeth gave him a look.

"Sorry but it is true. It isn't like they are going to stay together much longer. Long distance, teenage love never last."

"That's not true. Josh loves me and I love him too." Alison defended her relationship.

Elizabeth and Henry shared looks. They both knew Alison's relationship wouldn't last forever, but they would let her figure that out on her own.

"Can't you skype him tomorrow night?" Elizabeth asked.

"Mom," Alison gave her best pouty face. "You have already uprooted me from my world and changed my life as I know it. Please don't take away the one thing I look forward to every week."

"Of course not." Elizabeth felt a little guilty. "I hope you have a great skype date." Elizabeth turned to Henry and Jason. "I guess it is just me and my favorite boys."

"Can't." Jason stood up. "Dad already said I could go to a basketball game."

"You don't care for basketball." Elizabeth argued. At least the last time she checked, he wasn't a fan.

"Dad thought it would be a good way for me to make friends." Jason tapped his dad on the shoulders. "Totally his idea. Blame him."

Elizabeth sighed. She was really hoping for a fun family night, but then she smiled. There was upside to the kids being busy. "Well I guess this means it is just the two of us."

"Uh oh." Jason said.

"You better tell her dad." Alison threw him a sympathetic look as she ran upstairs.

"I'm going to get ready for the game." Jason also gave Henry a look before walking out of the room.

Elizabeth gave him a concerned look. "Alright, what's going on?"

"I really thought that you would still be working." Henry felt bad. "I never would have said yes."

"Said yes to what?"

"I told one of the other Professors at the college I would speak at his lecture series."

"On a Friday night?" Elizabeth was perplexed. "No one is going to show up."

"He is giving his students a lot of extra credit points." Henry took her hands in his. "I'm sorry. It shouldn't take too long. You can come with me."

Elizabeth frowned. "As exciting as that sounds, I think I will stay home and find a big bottle of wine."

"I really am sorry. I promise I am all yours tomorrow." He kissed her forehead.

"Good."

"Are you sure you are okay?"

"I'm good. I'm tired. I probably need to rest anyway." Elizabeth tried to rationalize.

"If you're not asleep when I get home…Maybe we can…" Henry smiled his big beautiful smile.

"Sounds like a plan." Elizabeth kissed him. "I don't think I'll be asleep."

"I can't wait."

* * *

Elizabeth rested on the couch, flipping through the channels. She was bored. She missed her family.

She would never get used to being away from them. She missed family time. They hadn't had a family movie or game night since the move. Family time used to be a constant in their lives. They always tried to spend as much time with the kids and each other as they could.

The doorbell rang.

Maybe it was the pizza she thought about ordering. She couldn't be that lucky.

"Nadine." Elizabeth said as she opened the door.

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but I realized that you forgot to sign a couple of documents." Nadine showed her the file.

"Seriously." Elizabeth took the file. "Come in." She led Nadine into the office.

"I know I should have called, but it is a Friday night. I didn't think you would want to come back into the office."

"What were you still doing at the office?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Like you said it is Friday night."

"Oh. I always stay at the office late on Fridays." Nadine informed her. "I like to prepare for the next week as much as possible. That's when I noticed that I forgot to give you these. They need to be sent out as soon as possible."

Elizabeth flipped through the documents. "You briefed me on these earlier today." She remembered.

"Yes ma'am. Again I'm sorry about this."

"No need to apologize Nadine. I'm glad you brought these to me." Elizabeth began signing them.

Nadine stood there watching her. She didn't move around the house looking at pictures. She wasn't nosey like most people who came to visit them. She looked like she was ready to get out of there as quick as possible.

"Here you go."

"Thank you ma'am. I will send these out first thing in the morning." Nadine took the documents. "Have a good weekend Madam Secretary." Nadine walked to the door.

"Wait Nadine…" Elizabeth paused. "Would you like to have a glass of wine?" She asked, not sure if Nadine would accept or not. Her relationship with Nadine was very rocky. Elizabeth had a feeling Nadine wasn't a fan of hers, and that she was still broken up over Marsh's death. But Elizabeth also knew that Nadine was damn good at her job and letting her go was not an option. Elizabeth needed her and hopefully Nadine would give her a fighting chance.

"I better not ma'am." Nadine decline. "I really need to go home."

"To your family?" Elizabeth questioned, knowing all too well that Nadine didn't have a husband or children.

"No." Nadine answered. "I just have some things I need to take care of."

"Right." Elizabeth nodded. "I was really hoping to spend the evening with my family. I thought we could see a movie or play a board game, like old times. But they all seem too busy for me. I feel like I'm missing out on their lives." She admitted. "I'm just an afterthought. Like oh yeah mom lives here sometimes too." Elizabeth sat down. She couldn't believe she was opening up to Nadine. She was probably sharing too much.

Nadine couldn't believe it either, but she actually didn't mind it. She didn't really have anything else to do. "Maybe I can have that glass of wine after all." She could use a drink.

"Great." Elizabeth walked to the kitchen and poured her a glass. "I hope you like red."

"Is there any other kind?" She took the glass from the Secretary.

"Absolutely not." Elizabeth pointed to the couch. "Here take a seat."

Nadine did. "I'm sorry your family ditched you. Often times on a Friday night I wish I had a family that would ditch me."

"You never wanted to get married?"

"I'm a workaholic. You did the right thing by having a family before becoming a workaholic."

"I'm not a workaholic." Elizabeth lied to herself. She noticed Nadine's face. "Okay. But it comes with the job. I have to be."

"It is understandable. I think you will be just fine." Nadine continued to drink her wine. "Working has always made me happy. I take great pride in what we do at the State Department."

"I know. I can tell. You do great work."

"Our team does great work." Nadine corrected her.

"But there has to be someone in your life. You're a beautiful woman."

"Ma'am." Nadine blushed a little. She wasn't comfortable having this conversation with her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. Your personal life is none of my business."

Nadine didn't argue with her.

"How did Marsh do it?"

"Excuse me," Nadine was taken aback by the mention of his name. "How did he do what?"

"Balance work and family? Did he ever confide in you about missing out on moments with his family?"

"No. I'm afraid he tried never to talk to me about his family."

"Right. He probably kept things pretty professional. I'll do better. I won't bore you with my family or feelings of missing out on things." Elizabeth took a sip of her wine.

Nadine tried to keep it together. If she only knew, Nadine thought to herself.

"But it is just so hard. I was a way a lot when I was in the CIA, but not like this. This feels different, and Alison and Jason were so young. They don't even remember it. Stevie on the other hand, remembers it a little. I think she holds it against me. I don't want Al and Jase to hold it against me. Taking this job was the right thing to do. I know that, and they know that. It is just hard when they want to do other things besides hangout with me. Even my husband had other plans. I just…" Elizabeth realized she was rambling. "Sorry. I think I have had a little too much wine. I already finished a glass and a half before you got here. It has been a long week."

"I can drink to that." Nadine smiled and took another drink. "I don't know much about having a husband and kids, but I do know that your kids are teenagers. They would be doing other things even if you didn't work so much. And your husband is probably wishing it was home cuddled on the couch with you."

Elizabeth smiled. It was the first real conversation the two of them had ever had. Nadine was usually all business, but maybe the wine was loosening her up.

"I saw the way they looked at you. Your family admires and respects you. Your husband adores you. He is probably trying to keep himself busy, so he doesn't miss you as much. You have nothing to worry about. It'll get easier."

"Really?"

Nadine nodded. "But if it doesn't, you can have me back over every Friday night and we can drink some more wine." Nadine laughed.

Wow, Elizabeth thought to herself. She does know how to laugh.

"Mom," Alison came down the stairs. "Oh hi."

"Alison," Elizabeth stood up. "You remember Nadine."

"Hi," Alison shook her hand.

"Nice to see you again Alison."

"I thought you were skype dating?"

Nadine made a funny face. She would never understand the younger generation and their lingo.

"It is a date over the internet." Elizabeth clarified, but then realized how it sounded. "With a boy she knows from Virginia."

"My boyfriend," Alison added. "I decided I wanted to spend some time with you. We can skype date any day of the week. I don't get to see you as much anymore." Alison smiled. She really did miss her mom.

"Awe," Elizabeth gave her a hug. "That is so sweet."

"But I can see you're busy." Alison looked at Nadine.

"Oh no. I was just leaving." Nadine sat her glass on the table and stood up.

"You don't have to go Nadine." Elizabeth reassured her.

"No really. I must be going. I have some things I need to take care of."

Elizabeth nodded. "I really enjoyed talking to you, Nadine." Elizabeth told her.

"Mom." The door opened and Jason and Henry walked into the house.

"Hey. What are you two doing home?"

"I gave the shortest speech of my life." Henry smiled. "Hi Nadine." He noticed the tiny woman.

"Hi Dr. McCord." Nadine shook his hand.

"And I texted Dad to pick me up."

"Oh really. Why?" Elizabeth teased. She had a feeling she knew why.

"Do I have to say it?" Jason frowned.

"Of course you do." Elizabeth smiled.

"I kind of missed you this week, and I really like family game night."

Elizabeth hugged her son. "This makes me so happy."

"You are such mama's boy." Alison joked.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't matter. I'm just happy to be home with my family." Elizabeth noticed Nadine walking to the door. "Wait. Nadine." Elizabeth called out to her. "Are you sure you can't stay?"

"I think you'd really like family game night." Henry added.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I really should be going."

Elizabeth walked to the door. "Hey Nadine."

Nadine turned towards her.

"Thanks for the pep talk."

"Anytime Ma'am. As far as I can see you have nothing to worry about." Nadine pointed to Elizabeth's family.

Elizabeth smiled. Nadine was right. She was so very happy to be at home with her family.

Nadine looked at Elizabeth with her family one last time before leaving. She wasn't always a fan of Elizabeth. She was very different from Secretary Marsh, but maybe different wasn't such a bad thing. She was a good, family oriented woman.

Nadine longed for that feeling and connection. She couldn't help but think she had missed out on having a family of her own. It was probably too late for her.

As Elizabeth sat with her family and played a board game, her mind couldn't help but drift to Nadine. She hoped that Nadine would find what she was missing. There was more to life than work, and she hoped Nadine could find that balance.

The State Department was very important and probably couldn't run without the two of them, but family would always be the most important thing a person could have. And Elizabeth knew she had hit the family jackpot. She was an extremely lucky woman.


End file.
